The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-15
WELSHTON.
A NORTHERN JOURNALISTS VISIT
The Profits Of Orange Growing Poor Man In
Fiorida-Farms and oaries-The Climate IN Sum
mer-c -colonisis In Large Bodies.
Harrisburg pa Telegram.

tiful valley completely surrounded 10y
hills. Is the town of Welshton. Al
though but few months old, the place
already shows signs Of future greatness.
The scenery is magnificent. with lovely
lakes, blooming wales, fertile soil and
charming groves ON every side. The
town is in Marion County. laid out on a
block of 1900 acres and named i'm honor
of the founder. Capt John III. Welsh, an
old acquaintance of the writer in the
petroleum fields of Pennsylvania. To
meet the genial Captain in my wander
ings was indeed "A pleasure. and We
talked over former experience with gem
uine relish.
During the palmy days of the st. Pc
tersburg. Clarion County. excitement,
and later i'm the great Bradford region,
few men were better or more favorably
known than the Captain. His public
spirit made him popular and influential,
gaining him lots of warm admirers. No
worthy enterprise appealed To him in
vain and his departure from st. Peters
burg was signalized by farewell ban
quet i'm his honor, such as even the oil
country has seldom witnessed. He was
probably the youngest commanding Of
ficer in the United States navy during
the war. being a master commanding
when only twenty-three. with a record
VI WIN bC II
Is, however, as president of the Wayne
Monument Commission and the chair
man of the Soldiers and Sailors Home
Association, both established at Erie.
Pa, through his exertions. that he il
known to the readers of the Telegram.
During the winter of 1879. while i'm
Washington struggling To get the Penn
sylvania Soldiers and Sailors Home bill
passed. he was stricken down with con
n.
rhages, which forced him to make his
home in Florida where we found him.
Welshton is a lovely spot and one of
the healthiest i'm the State. Only two
years have passed since the first tree was
cut, yet IL has about one thousand acres
cleared, of which about seven hundred
are in cultivation i'm oranges, lemons,
grapes, etc. About sixty buildings gen
orally of a superior character, especially
the depot. public school and the hotel
which will accommodate one hundred
guests, are finished and occupied. Cap
tain WeIshs six years in Florida have
made him something of an authority on
Florida matters, and 50 one evening we
put on our inquisitorial cap i'm the inter
est of the Telegram. Here is the result:
what is the population of the Statey'
About four hundred thousand"
What proportion of the State is
adapted To orange and lemon culture
About two millions acres. The bal
ance is rather too wet, or too far north
to make orange growing profitable.
lis orange growing very profitableE'
Eyes, very, when the business is un-
derstood and the trees are properly at
tended to. The Spear grove. of six
acres, L am told, nets its owners from
80 900 To $15 200 annually, and the Hart
grove, about the same size, old grove, Is
said to have brought its owner $ls 800
for single crop. A grove sold this
winter at the rate of - 800 per acre
cash, sec, 900 for about five and half
acres. A grove just in bearing. four TO
five years from setting out the trees,
that ought not to cost over $3.50. with
best of care, has common value Of
about ii 900 per acre"
Are groves always profitable!
"No, not always. The conditions of
soil. location of trees. and the manner of
planting are prime factors. Then comes
the care Of the grove, matters TO which
the Northerner often attaches little value,
or rather, he does not understand it. He
comes here early i'm the winter, starts "A
grove, spends his money freely and goes
home in the spring with the idea that
little or anything is to be done until his
return, often neglecting the important
thing to the success of an orange grove
fertilizer and a good cultivator."
"Why are not vegetables more plenti-
full, if, as claimed, they can be raised
here the year around!
1T is because the ma jority Of our
Northern people, who are largely in the
ma jority i'm Middle and Southern Flor
ida where vegetables are grown in win
ter, are, like myself, broken down mer-
chants. knowing more about pills than
vegetables, depending on books for IN
formation, and generally ending in fail
ure. Vegetables of almost every de-
scription can be grown here the year
around. but the fellow who has no prac-
tical knowledge had better turn his at-
tention to something else"
What are the marketable products
of the State outside of oranges.
Last fall prepared with great care
and think accurately, table Of Flor
ida products. The whole annual pro-
duct of the State is nearly sac 900, 900,
of-which only 81, ,5OO, 900 is for oranges
and lemons. The list comprises almost
everything grown north except apple 5
and wheat. There is great change GO
ing on i'm Florida. We have got over
the orange, fish and Yankee period and
might now he fairly called self-support-
ing. Our income per capita, not count
ing the ten millions or thereabouts spent
every winter by tourists, is about $40,
while the incfease in population and
wealth is not exceeded by any State in
the union"
what do you think Of the future Of
Florida
"Floi .da has vast quantities Of cheap
lands in great variety and is practically
out of debt. Taxes are only eleven
mills on the dollar on a general one-third
valuation. The country has fine water
and rail facilities, an intelligent, pro-
gressive population, is easy of access To
the North, and is the sanatarium of the
western world. Yes, Florida has a fu-
ture and it is a bright one" -
lis Florida place for the poor man
"Florida is the home of the poor man.
Here, for instance, we need adozen a
boring men, able and willing 10 work.
The lowest wages is 81. Fuel i'm abun-
| dance is free and clothing does not cost
a third of what it does i'm the North. Ee-
sides he can labor every day in the year
and gets cash for his work. Then, again,
we want the laborer badly and will sell
him a piece of land for $40 or SIS an
acre. build him home cheaply and LEI
him have his own time to pay for IL. This
is the home of the poor industrious man.
Indeed, nearly all the rich men of to-day
came to Florida poorer than church
| mouse and they are not ashamed OF II
either. Labor is an important ques-
tion in Florida and the man who IL will
ing to work is sure of steady employ
ment at good wages"
Have you many good farms or dair-
| ies.''
| '.Oh, yes. the western part of the
State is strictly farms and diaries. Ther'
| are quite a number of successful dairic,
scattered through Middle and South
Florida; while the settlers generally ar,
turning their attention to agric ulture
especially grasses which grow here II
great abundance and variety. Crai
grass grows everywhere spontaneously
81 ,d,.<.e ~, m, Mn. Ia nj al,plI